5 dogs rescued after raid on Ottery dogfighting ring

CAPE TOWN - A raid conducted at a property in Ottery, has exposed a dogfighting ring.
 
Members of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement, Animal Control Unit swooped on the premises on Wednesday.
 
The officers were armed with a warrant issued by the Wynberg Magistrate's Court.
 
Of five dogs seized, two were found with freshly cropped ears, criminal, in terms of the Animals Protection Act.
 
Upon inspection, the team found a blood-soaked carpet, and the walls of a makeshift dogfighting pit smeared with blood stains.
 
The organisation's Belinda Abraham: "It really was quite a gruesome scene. Two dogs had clear and unmistakable fighting scar patterns. Equipment linked to dog fighting, including a treadmill, break-sticks and medication was also seized. The pit itself was dismantled for forensic testing. The SPCA is covering the cost of urgent DNA testing to be done at a private lab and this testing is of course essential to holding those responsible to account."
 
Abraham said that public support was needed to fund this effort.
 
"Donations can be made via our website, capespca.co.za. Dog fighting isn't just animal cruelty, it's a violent crime that contributes to societal decay and it goes hand in hand with many other criminal activities."